Yes, Beckham is very charming, and there's been a spike in the sport since the World Cup. Broward is a diverse area with many soccer fans and, we are told, Beckham doesn't want tax dollars, although somehow sports franchises always wind up with tax dollars.

And now there is word that Beckham is showing interest in prospective stadium sites in Broward, after not having much success finding a home in downtown Miami. County-owned land next to the BB&T Center in Sunrise — land that has been talked about as a possible site for a resort casino, a convention center or some other use — has been mentioned as a possible site for a Major League Soccer stadium, and Broward Mayor Barbara Sharief has asked all 31 cities to come up with a list of possible stadium sites.

Explore the possibilities? Sure. Why not? Bend over backward for Beckham? Not so fast.

Remember, Beckham has always said he preferred a downtown, waterfront site. The area next to the mall at Sawgrass Mills hardly meets that criterion. And Miami-Dade is still interested in bringing the team there.

If this sounds like Beckham might be trying to get a little negotiating leverage with Miami-Dade by showing some interest in Broward, well, call us cynical.

Sharief says she wants to give Beckham and his partners every opportunity to come to Broward and several Broward officials seem enthused by the idea.

Fine. But there are factors to consider.

If they think the soccer stadium will spur economic development, they only need to look at Marlins Park, which opened in 2012 with lots of talk of revitalizing the Little Havana neighborhood. It hasn't happened yet.

Then there is the matter of whether a professional soccer team could consistently draw good crowds.

South Florida sports teams don't have a sterling record there. The Marlins are last in attendance in the National League. The Florida Panthers last year finished 29th out of 30 National Hockey League teams in attendance. The Dolphins finished 21st out of 32 National Football League teams in attendance, and routinely have thousands of empty seats. Even the Miami Heat, a few years before LeBron James came to town, had thousands of empty seats.

As for soccer attendance, the Miami Fusion of the MLS folded in 2001 because of poor attendance.

Granted, this is a different South Florida than back in 2001. There is more interest in soccer now than a decade ago, and Beckham's appeal certainly gives a new franchise a jump start in publicity and excitement.

But for Broward officials and fans who want to go all-in quickly on this idea, we offer more advice from the world of pop culture: Curb your enthusiasm.